Henry Spencer sold the land for the mill site to Erastus Quivey for $500 in 1848. It was land that Spencer had purchased in 1844 for $150. Quivey had little cash, so Spencer held a mortgage for the full amount of the sale.

Erastus Quivey had been farming in the small community for nine years. He was one of the earliest settlers, and was recorded in the 1840 census with his family. He had arrived in November 1839 and housed his family in a tent until a log house could be built. His youngest child did not survive that first winter and was the first of the new settlers to die.

Farming was risky and Quivey may have been attempting to find another source of income when he opened the saw mill and grist mill. Henry Spencer had little to lose by investing in Quivey's idea for the mills because land values were continually rising and if Quivey defaulted on the loan and Spencer had to take back the improved property, he would be that much further ahead.

The saw mill was put up first. A saw mill required less water power than a grist mill, so a small dam would have been sufficient for Quivey's saw mill. It was run by a flutter wheel about three feet in diameter and 10 feet long. There was a steady supply of lumber available from the oak groves west of his mill and those who wanted Evansville to grow were anxious to have the land cleared for homes and businesses.

It took nearly a year from the time Quivey purchased the land until he had a small dam built for water supply and a building for the mill. Henry Spencer's brother, Lewis, wrote to his relatives in Vermont on November 25, 1849. "Quivey has got his mill about ready to run. He thinks he shall go to sawing this week."

When the census taker recorded Evansville's industries in 1850, Quivey had two employees. They were paid $18 each month. During the first year of operation, Quivey and his hired men cut 150,000 feet of lumber and had 6,000 logs on hand according to the census.

The type of water wheel used for a mill can be identified by where the water comes in contact with the wheel. According to Byron Campbell's book "Pioneer Days of Evansville", Quivey's grist mill was run by an overshot wheel. The water from the mill race was distributed through a trough, called a flume. In the overshot wheel configuration, the water fell into the wheel from the top. This caused the wheel to turn in the same direction as the flow of the stream.

By 1851, Quivey was ready to sell the mill and his two sons, William and Leander purchased the property for $6,000. William was studying with Dr. Evans and at Rush Medical College in Chicago at this time and it was probably Erastus and Leander that were left to run the mill. The family's credit was extended to the limit and the Quivey's had involved their friends as well.

Dr. William Quivey had signed notes with a Janesville foundry for the castings for the mill's machinery. He was served with a summons to the Rock County Circuit Court in Janesville to answer for the debts.

In addition to the large sums of money required to operate the mills there were other hazards including the weather. Draughts meant there was no water to operate the mill wheel and the snow and ice of winter weather damaged the machinery. Wooden mill wheels had to be replaced every five or ten years because the moving parts of the wheel fell victim to the ravages of weather and water.

The mill property fell into the hands of investors from New Jersey, who purchased it from the Rock County Sheriff, after the Quiveys could no longer pay their debts. The investors had no interest in the land and mills, except to profit from their purchase.

Henry Spencer's father-in-law, William Campbell purchased the mill property in 1854 and the Quivey family moved to Corvallis, Oregon. The hardships of the milling venture would be repeated again and again at the Evansville mills.

William Campbell seemed to have some luck at operating the saw mill business. Campbell purchased the mill for $4,500. His young son, Byron, helped his father saw the lumber for several buildings constructed while Campbell had the mill. The Free Will Baptist Church and Henry Spencer's Hotel were built from lumber cut by the Campbells.

An 1858 map of Evansville shows a saw mill and grist mill along the west side of Allen's Creek. The mill pond, created by the dam, became a recreation spot for local citizens. It was a swimming hole, fish pond, and ice skating rink, depending on the season. In the winter, ice was harvested from the pond, placed in storage and covered with sawdust until the hot summer months when it could be used for refrigeration.

When the 1860 census was taken, William Campbell had both mills in operation. His grist mill used a 12-horse power steam engine to supplement the water power.

Campbell's saw mill had 100,000 feet of oak lumber on hand. He had every reason to think that his mill would continue to be successful. The population of Evansville was growing and the need for lumber for building materials seemed to be growing too.

However, when an opportunity to sell the mill property presented itself, Campbell sold out. He was the last to use the saw mill and it was eventually torn down. The grist mill had a longer life. Apparently, Campbell did not make a substantial amount of money from the operation, as his son, Byron would later report, " I think there were only two that made any money out of it. One was Harvey Prentice, who bought it cheap and sold it for a good price. The other was Fred Wolf, who was a practical miller."

An ad in the March 6, 1861 Janesville Gazette advertised Campbell's mill for sale. "For sale or exchange in part for other property, the grist mill in Evansville.".

Charles Raymond bought the mill property in the 1860s and began to make improvements. He dug a new mill race from the dam. The new race increased the water flowing to the grist mill and with the added power, Raymond was able to add another run of stone for grinding grain into flour.

However, Raymond got the urge to move West and sold his mill to Harvey Prentice in December 1867 and by October of the following year Prentice had sold the mill to Joseph C. Nichols of Richland Center. Nichols paid $10,000 for the mill and $500 for the mill pond and water rights. The property included a small house at the west end of Mill Street.

Nichols emphasized the good service he offered to his customers. He offered free delivery of flour and feed to any part of the village. Nichols was also a strong supporter of other businesses in the community. He encouraged his customers to shop in Evansville and to offer support to people who wanted to improve the community.

Nichols did not always manage the mill himself. He frequently rented the mill out to others to operate. In 1871, William Leedle came to Evansville to operate the grist mill. He would later operate Leedle's mill near Cooksville. Fred Wolfe took over Leedle's lease of the Evansville grist mill in December of that same year.

Wolfe's lease was to last several years. In order to make the business profitable, he refused credit to customers. His experience of more than 40 years in the milling business had made him skeptical of those who wanted to get products without paying for them immediately. However, he did promise "all kinds of custom work in the most perfect and expeditious manner" to all those who would pay cash.

Wolfe also advertised that he would purchase good milling wheat at the highest market price. Many area farmers had given up wheat production and many millers relied on wheat imported from Minnesota and other states further west.

Even though Nichols did not always run the business himself, he still wanted to maintain his investment. Constant upkeep was required for the property and the machinery. In June 1872, the Evansville Review noted that Mr. Nichols had widened and deepened the race from the mill to the pond. Water wheels and machinery had been removed and a deeper wheel pit had been dug. The improvements, including new machinery cost Nichols more than $3,000.

A year later, the business was temporarily shutdown because of heavy rains. A flood in June 1873 broke through the mill dam. Men were stationed at the top of the mill dam watching for the flood. When the waters in the pond started to rise, the head gates were opened but the flooding came too quickly, pouring over the dam until the water swelled over the creek banks. Three bridges and 40 feet of sidewalk were swept away.

Rubbish was washed into yards and a fifteen by twenty-five foot ditch was cut under the railroad tracks. Trains had to be stopped until workers from Madison could repair the flood-damaged track.

Wolfe continued to operate the mill until October 1876, when he decided that farming was a more lucrative occupation. He purchased a farm when his lease expired on the mill.

Hans Randolph took over the lease in 1876. That same year, Nichols died but his wife held onto the mill property, leasing it out as her husband had done. She would have preferred to sell the property, if she could find a willing buyer. In 1880, Nichols' wife advertised the mill for "rent or sale". According to the ad, the mill had three run of stone.

A Mr. Kellogg took over the mill in 1880 and two years later the worst flood Evansville natives had ever seen broke through the dam. He had no money to make repairs and Mrs. Nichols wanted out of the business.

The Nichols mill was sold to David Narracong, a German miller with little money, but grandiose plans for the little business. When he came to Evansville in April 1883, he offered to purchased the mill and water rights for $2,300, providing the citizens of the village would contribute $500 to repair the dam. Narracong proceeded to purchase machinery and supplies on credit. By May, the mill dam was being replaced and the business was under way.

The following year, the old mill was once again repaired and Narracong installed new machinery that would make flour by the roller process. This was a new milling process that required a large investment of funds to purchase new machinery. A tubular flume was built to direct the water into the wheel. Narracong announced that the purchase of the new equipment would cost $4,000.

Narracong had also suggested that a canal be dug. He claimed that if the canal were extended to the north line of Union township that it would double the water power to his mill. He again asked that the village appropriate $500 toward the cost of the canal as it would make the Evansville mill one of the best in Rock County.

By August 1884, Narracong had gone under. He signed the mill over to Daniel Rowley for $3,700. Rowley's son-in-law, Alonzo C. Gray, and Rowley took over the mill and paid off Narracong's creditors. Neither Gray nor Rowley wanted to operate the mill and by the following year they had found another buyer.

J. Slightham of Lodi paid $8,000 for the business in May 1885. Although he was not a miller, Slightham had sons who would operate the business in his name. Even though Narracong had spent large sums of money to revamp the mill, the Slighthams had to put in more new machinery.

Four years later the Slighthams sold their mill to L. S. Cook and Sons and moved to Stockton, Kansas. William Slightham, one of the sons, went to work in a large mill in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. Ed Slightham, his sister Annie, and Mr. & Mrs. J. J. Slightham started for their new home in Kansas in February 1889.

In March 1889, the Cook family took over the mill. A new steam powered engine was put in so that the owners could grind grain whether there was water sufficient to run the mill wheel or not. They operated the mill for several years under the name "Evansville Milling Company."

Despite the new engines, the mill still relied heavily on water power and for several years in the 1890s there was a drought. The springs above the mill pond dried up so that there was not enough water in the mill race to do any grinding. The Cooks gave up the business.

In November 1900, the Evansville newspapers announced the William Stevens had purchased the mill property which had been "begging on the market so long." Stevens lived on North Madison Street and was Evansville's mayor at the time of the purchase. He had promised that he would repair the dam so that Lake Leota would be preserved, although he had little interest in operating the mill.

The citizens of Evansville breathed a sigh of relief. The lake had become an important source of ice for the local D. E. Wood Butter Company, that had been in operation since 1891. A cold storage shed and the local butcher shops, as well as the residents who had ice boxes for refrigeration at home depended on ice from the lake as well.

The ice harvest began in January or February, depending on the weather. An 1893 account of the local ice harvest noted that Lake Leota "affords the best yield of ice this winter that it ever has done. Charlie Winship has the job of filling the creamery and the Pratt cold storage and is doing it with ice a foot and a half thick, clear as crystal."

The ice harvest in January 1900 was producing beautiful clear quality ice but by October 1901, citizens became concerned that Stevens was not taking care of the dam and worried that the lake would be lost. Many of the leading citizens petitioned the City Council to purchase the mill pond from Stevens, raise the level of the dam and revive the lake "to a good clean and healthful condition".

As the level of the water dropped through lack of care of the dam, it became clear that the lake was full of rotten logs, stumps and decaying vegetation. The mill race, where it crossed Madison Street had been filled in and the mill had become a storage shed.

The petitioning citizens were willing to let the mill disappear but they wanted to preserve the lake for a city park that would have fishing and boating in the summer and skating and ice cutting in the winter. Supports of the project claimed that the ice cutting alone would pay a good portion of the cost of purchasing the property.

The petitioners also believed that the lake as it stood was a health hazard. Without the dam, the area as a breeder for mosquitos and had "pestilential odors".

However, the city was in the process of installing its water system and the council rejected the expense of purchasing and maintaining the lake. In 1904, the D. E. Wood Butter company was sending men to Leedle's Pond near Cooksville because Evansville's lake had become little more than a swamp and small stream.

The restoration of the dam was a contentious issue for more than 20 years and it was not until 1923 that the lake was once again restored.

The old mill was never again used for grinding wheat, corn and other grains. In July 1930 a fire completely destroyed the historic mill. Flames spread quickly through the paper, tools and machinery stored in the build. Other buildings near the mill were threatened and firemen fought the blaze for several hours.

At the time the building burned it was owned by Mrs. Charles Van Wart and she rented the building to Eugene Williams for storage. Williams had used the mill as a warehouse for 18 years for storing waste paper. He claimed to have two of the axes that were used to hew the timbers for the oak logs used in the construction of the building.